This delicious smooth and creamy healthy homemade Nutella recipe is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted, and for good reason!
The Best Nutella Recipe
Currently with more than ten thousand positive online reviews, this surprisingly easy Nutella recipe is definitely a huge reader favorite.
Super rich and creamy, it effortlessly holds its own against that famous Ferrero chocolate spread in the iconic red and white plastic jars at the grocery store.
And yet the homemade version also has fewer than half the calories per serving.
It’s much healthier than store-bought, without sacrificing any of the kid friendly classic chocolate taste that we all know and love.
Also be sure to try these Black Bean Brownies
Homemade Nutella
Just one spoonful of the thick chocolate vegan Nutella recipe, and you’ll absolutely never want to put the spoon down again.
Yes, it’s that good.
Unless, of course, you don’t like Nutella… is such a thing even possible?
Is there really a single person in this world who can resist that luxuriously rich and velvety hazelnut chocolate spread?
If true, please send me your spoon so I can happily eat your portion.
I’m nice like that.
Healthy Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
I didn’t specifically set out to make a low calorie Nutella.
It just turned out that way.
Unlike store-bought Nutella, which lists palm oil and sugar as the first two ingredients, this option is suitable for vegans or those with dairy allergies and is lower in sugar or can be a sugar free recipe.
It’s also high in Vitamin E, B vitamins, and healthy fats.
My first introduction to Nutella was in preschool, and it was love at first bite.
Back then, the spread wasn’t popular like it is now. All of the other children in my class thought I was so weird for bringing Nutella sandwiches to school, neatly packed into a lunchbox with the crusts cut off.
Day after day, they ate their boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while I blissfully devoured a chocolate sandwich.
Needless to say, in just a few months I’d hooked all of my friends on this miracle hazelnut cocoa spread, and soon everyone was bringing Nutella for lunch, as sandwiches or a dip for fresh apple slices, strawberries, or bananas.
Vegan Nutella Ingredients
I gave up eating Nutella upon going vegan years ago. Vegan Nutella or gianduja brands, including Justin’s or Nutiva, do now exist, but buying them can get expensive.
Making your own hazelnut spread at home saves money, and you get to control exactly what ingredients to use.
For the milk: If you choose a nondairy milk such as almondmilk or coconut milk, the recipe can be naturally dairy free, gluten free, egg free, and soy free.
The sweetener: Use your favorite all purpose sweetener, such as date sugar, regular granulated sugar, or coconut sugar. Liquid sweeteners like pure maple syrup, agave, honey, or date syrup also work but will yield a much less creamy and spreadable result.
For a low carb or keto Nutella recipe: Simply use a sugar free sweetener such as xylitol or erythritol instead of the sugar. The low carb version will have just 0.1 net carbs per serving.
I haven’t tried sweetening the Nutella with stevia or allulose, so feel free to experiment and be sure to report back with results if you do.
The hazelnuts: Look for raw hazelnuts in the bulk aisle of health food stores or online. I’ve also seen them sold in bags at Costco. Feel free to sub unsalted roasted hazelnuts and skip the roasting step in the recipe instructions below.
If you can’t find hazelnuts at all, the spread can be made with almonds instead. The flavor will be different but it’s still tasty.
How To Make Nutella At Home
Gather all of the ingredients, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roast the two cups of raw hazelnuts on the oven’s center rack for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Rub the roasted nuts together in a cloth or paper towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry if some of the skins refuse to come off.
In a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor (like a Cuisinart), blend the hazelnuts until they turn into a smooth butter.
Add all remaining ingredients, and blend on high for a few minutes until the texture resembles real Nutella.
Homemade Nutella Storage Instructions
Is using the oil instead of milk, the homemade Nutella is shelf stable and does not need to be refrigerated. It can be stored in a tightly covered container in your kitchen cabinet for up to two weeks. Or refrigerate for up to two months.
If using the milk, it’s best to store the recipe in the refrigerator, where it should stay good for two to three weeks.
After this time, to prevent the nuts from going rancid, you can freeze leftover Nutella. The texture will not be as smooth, but it still tastes great!
Is Nutella Healthy?
The main ingredient in store-bought Nutella is surprisingly not cocoa powder or hazelnuts. Palm oil and sugar make up more than 50% of the spread, which also includes skim milk, whey, soy lecithin, and vanillin (artificial flavor).
Two tablespoons of the packaged hazelnut spread with cocoa contain 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 21 grams of sugar.
Even if you use all regular sugar in the recipe below, it will still only have 70 calories, less than a gram of saturated fat, and under 5 grams of both fat and sugar per two tablespoon serving, making the homemade Nutella a much healthier option.
Recipes With Nutella
Other good uses for homemade Nutella include spreading it over toast or Vegan Pancakes, frosting cupcakes or adding a spoonful to hot chocolate, or eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon!
Above, watch the step by step homemade Nutella recipe video
Homemade Nutella Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts (240g)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sweetener of choice (see above for options that work here)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk of choice or 2 tbsp oil, optional
Instructions
- Homemade Nutella Recipe: If hazelnuts are not already roasted, preheat the oven to 400 F and bake for 6-8 minutes or just until they begin to brown. Rub them together in a paper towel to get the skins off. It’s okay if a few stubborn skins won’t come off. In a Vitamix or food processor, blend the nuts until they’ve turned to butter. (This could take up to twenty minutes in a food processor.) Then add all other ingredients except milk or oil and blend a long time until it’s smooth like Nutella! If desired, add in the milk or oil. Storage tips are listed above.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Easy Chocolate Recipes
Homemade Chocolate Bars (3 Ingredients)
Hi! Could this be made with Stevia? I am a little concerned about using a large quantity of xylitol, which some say is not the healthiest…..Thanks! This looks delish! 🙂
Can’t I sweet it with it honey instead of all these sugars? i have been making my own nut butters with honey and so far they have been perfect in sugar content and taste. I can’t afford a food processor but I do it with a Black and Decker mince chopper. (A small batch of 10 servings, 200g nut, 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil and 30ml honey) you end up with 3.5g sugar per serving.
Hi! I have made this recipe a few time and it is good. Although, it always comes out a little gritty for me, still good none-the-less. Most vegan commercial brands out there are very gritty. Although, I did just discover the Endangered Species Chocolate (brand) natural hazelnut spread with cocoa. It’s entirely smooth and not gritty what-so-ever. Highly recommend if you don’t have time to put together this delicious Nutella.
Just curious as to how long your version of Nutella would keep for? Also I’m assuming it should be stored in the fridge? Particularly depending on the type of milk used?
Hu, I made this recipe over the weekend- so good! How long does it keep? Is it based on the milk you use?
I think around a week in the fridge but you could make it go a little longer.
Hello- Katie thanks for this recipe. The problem I had was getting the skins off of the hazelnuts. It was tedious, time consuming and did not yield good results. I followed your directions with putting them in the oven for 8 mins. I rolled first with a paper towel which did not work for me with the tearing, then used a silpat which was better. It was still a LONG process and not 100% effective. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong. Did anyone else have this trouble? The taste at the end of all this was delicious Katie so I thank you. And I do enjoy your recipes .
Hmm I’ve never had that problem with this recipe! Maybe it was a bad batch of hazelnuts or an extra tough batch? Maybe google how to get the skins off to see if others have a different way that might work better for you?
Hi Katie
Could I use raw cashews instead of hazelnuts’? And soak them overnight ?
Love your breakfast book
Barb?
You can definitely experiment! Be sure to report back if you do!
This is seriously amazing! So delicious!
WOW! This recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS! I am on the FMD and used xylitol, unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil, raw cacao powder and Madagascar vanilla extract with no alcohol and I was extremely pleased with the end result. This is BETTER than store bought Nutella!! Roasting the raw hazelnuts also filled my home with yumminess. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made the Healthy Nutella using xylitol and it was wonderful- nice an creamy, perfect consistency. I tried making it a second time. I used the same ingredients and food processor. It is crumbly, not a true butter. What can be the reason? What should I do differently? I thought that I hadn’t processed enough but that didn’t seem to make a difference.
Thank you!
How long does the nutella last? It looks amazing by the way:-) i just got your breakfast ebook, it is just outstanding!
A week in the fridge! 🙂
Just made this and I’m very excited about serving it to the children! I love it! How do I store it and for how long? Thanks.
Store in the fridge, probably for a week.
Just made this in my old vitamix with some coconut oil and it was delicious. My question is, how long will this keep in the fridge, not that it will last long!
Sherry
5 ish days
Hello!
How long does this last? Do you store it in the fridge?
Nevermind! I just saw the posts above!
Thinking of making this when the kids wake. I was wondering how long this will keep in the fridge. Does it depends on the best before date on the milk?
Never-ending. Saw above post
I tried to make this with a Magic Bullet and it was painful((( I spent an hour trying to move the mixture around the blender to blend together and even after that it didn’t get to the desired consistency. So don’t try it with a Magic Bullet, use the tools recommended by the author.